Dynamics of Pantograph-Catenary System Considering Local Singularities of Contact Wire with Critical Wavelengths

In this paper, dynamical response of pantograph-catenary coupled system considering contact wire stagger design and local singularities of contact wire with critical wavelengths is studied. First, the finite element model of the catenary using Euler-Bernoulli beam elements is established. The pantograph model considering the stagger design of contact wire is proposed as a multi-body system with mass, stiffness, damping and friction. The contact forces between contact strips and the contact wire are calculated by using Newmark numerical method. The reference pantograph-catenary system in EN50318 is worked out to verify the correctness of the proposed dynamical models and numerical method. The PSD of contact wire vertical irregularity in real line of Chinese high speed railway will be formulated, from which the critical wavelengths of contact wire irregularity are obtained. Then, the contact wire irregularity due to local singularities with critical wavelengths is introduced into the dynamical model of pantograph-catenary system as the excitation. The influence law of the local singularities of contact wire on the dynamics of pantograph-catenary system is studied, and the maximum allowable levels of local singularities for each critical wavelength are determined.